Acting United States Attorney A. Lance Crick announced that Zachary Shakur Stephens, 26, of Newberry, was arrested for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and has been detained following a hearing in federal court in Greenville.
The United States Attorney’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) secured a federal arrest warrant pursuant to a criminal complaint alleging Stephens had unlawfully possessed a firearm and ammunition. ATF, with the assistance of the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, arrested Stephens the same day. He appeared in court for a preliminary hearing and to address the issue of bond. Stephens was ordered detained without bond pending resolution of the federal charge against him.
During the hearing, an ATF special agent informed the court that Stephens was involved in a traffic stop on October 31, 2019, and found to be in possession of a loaded firearm.
Federal law prohibits Stephens from possessing firearms and ammunition due to a prior felony conviction for strong arm robbery. Stephens told investigators with the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office that he was a member of a gang and he carried a gun to protect himself from rival gang members living in Newberry County. At the time of the traffic stop, Stephens was out on bond for a state court weapons charge from August 2019 that also involved the possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
As a result of the federal charge, Stephens faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. The offense listed in the arrest warrant is merely an allegation, and Stephens is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. Assistant United States Attorney Justin Holloway of the Greenville office is prosecuting the case.
In a secondary release, Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster said he is grateful for the participation of the United States Attorney’s Office and the BATF in investigating this case. “Stephens, also known as “Trapper Zac”, was out on bond for two previous charges; one being a weapons charge when he was again found with a firearm. A Newberry County Magistrate initially held him without bond. Later a circuit judge released him on a $50,000 bond.
Sheriff Foster said, “We have to combine our resources and cooperate with as many agencies as possible to end the violence that is terrorizing our communities. If a person makes a bad choice that endangers lives, then they must be held accountable. If you make a choice to be a felon in possession of a firearm and commit a crime, we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. The firearm itself is not the problem, but it is the person that chooses a weapon to bring beblam to the neighborhoods of good citizens that want to live in peace.”
As with any case, the defendant is innocent until proven guilty by the court.
